Parallels
by Sheankelor
Summary: Ron's being hung out to dry by the press and Harry has a few words to say on this, An Easter inspired tale


_An:_ Not beta'ed and thought of after church this morning. Enjoy an Easter tale that happens not at Easter.

 _Parallels_

Harry leaned up against the wall next to his bed, looking over at Ron , who was doing the same. They were in Ron's room at the Burrow, the Battle of Hogwarts a not too distant memory. The funerals were over, and people were moving on. At least, that is what the Daily Prophet's headlines declared. They also were declaring Harry the Saviour of the Wizarding World. There were a few comments that he was the Saviour of the World in general tucked into the article he had just finished skimming.

Ron tipped his head to the side, his eyes questioning. _'I must have been staring longer than I thought.'_ Shaking the thoughts of the first article out of his mind, he pointed towards Rita Skeeter's article which was also on the front page. "Skeeter is starting in on the fact that you left me and Hermione during our camping trip. She interviewed Phineas Black and lots of our classmates." He rolled his eyes. "She raking up muck from the TriWizarding Tournament, even."

Ron's head dropped. "It's okay, mate. I deserve to have my name drug through the mud. I left you and Hermione. Even fourth year … I wasn't the best of friends. I'm amazed you took me back at all the first time. The second time … I expected even less, but I had to find you. I had to try."

Harry sighed before tossing part of the Prophet, balled up, at him. "Oi!" Ron's head shot up, his blue eyes meeting Harry's. "None of that – we're best mates and that is that. So, you got mad because I didn't let you in on how to get into the tournament and didn't believe me when I told you I didn't do it. You watched out for me anyway – in secret. Remember the dragons? We were fourteen then – teenage hormones and feelings of betrayal don't go together well."

Ron snorted lightly. "Yeah, but I walked out on your two while we were dealing with the locket."

Harry nodded. "And tried to come right back, but Hermione's wards were way too good. Had to be to keep the Death Eaters from finding us – what chance did you have? Neither of us thought of that while we were bemoaning and waiting and worrying and all."

"I'd have been mad if you took them down for me – we would have been caught by those snatchers faster." Ron's glare lightened as he shook his head. "Still doesn't excuse me though. I was the jerk who deserted you guys because I couldn't control my temper."

Harry looked down at the paper, the headlines jumping off the page at him, pulling treasured memories to the front of his mind. There had been one place he had to go to every week where he had been free of Dudley's bullying, though Aunt Petunia's glares and Uncle Vernon's scowls were allowed. Church. There he learned about the real saviour of the world, one he emulated during the Battle of Hogwarts. He remembered the Ten Commandments and had still succeeded in defeating Voldemort.

"You know I'm Anglican, right?" Harry shook his head at Ron's laughter. "Not nationality, but denomination of Christianity."

"Oh," Ron shrugged. "So?"

"Well, Jesus – he is the Saviour of the World – had apostles, and some of them were his best mates, especially the first ones who joined him. They were with him all the time. His absolute best mate, at least the way I see it, was Simon Peter. He was also the first one he called to him and his brother, Andrew, was second."

Ron shrugged. "How does this ...'

Harry waved the question away, saying, "Give me a moment, mate."

He continued when Ron slumped back against his pillow, his eyes never leaving Harry's face. "See, Simon Peter he had a temper – was known to be a hothead." He chuckled at Ron's widening eyes. "Yeah, and it got him in trouble, just like you, but just like you, he made right his mistakes.

"On Good Friday – the night Jesus was taken to be crucified – Simon Peter followed him all the way to the high priest house who arrested him, but there people accused him of being a disciple of Jesus, and he denied it three time. Then he all but ran away."

Harry waited for a moment, giving Ron a chance to understand what he was saying. "It wasn't the first time he was wrong-footed either, just the worst. All through the Gospels there are instances were Simon Peter puts his foot in his mouth, but he is also the one who stepped out of the boat and walked on water just because Jesus called to him. This man had been a fisherman, he knew what could happen, but he trusted Jesus, and it proved worthy."

"After that moment of denial, he realised his what he did. He and the other apostles hid for seven days after Jesus was crucified, too scared to do anything, worried about what was going to happen next. But during that time one of the Marys told them that Jesus' body was gone – that the tomb was opened. Simon Peter and John ran there, and Simon Peter was the first to enter the tomb – John got there first, but wouldn't enter. They saw that Jesus was gone, that the burial shrouds were folded up neatly – no thief would do that.

"Jesus later appeared to them in the room where they were hiding, and they went out to spread his Gospel. Simon Peter was with them. Simon Peter was the Rock – the one Jesus said was the foundation of his church."

Ron cut in. "So, you are saying I'm like this Simon Peter."

Harry nodded quickly. "If I get to be the Saviour of the Wizarding World, you get to be my Peter. My best mate who goofs up sometimes, who has a temper, who knows how to forgive, and be as loyal as can be."

"Who's Hermione then?"

Ron glanced at the door, causing Harry to do the same. Hermione was standing there, her eyes wide.

With a shake of her head, she crossed the room and sat down next to Ron. "If your Peter, I get to be John, the Beloved since they both followed Jesus for the longest of all the others, well except Andrew and James, and they both ran to the tomb that day."

Harry picked up the paper and handed it to Hermione. She glanced at the front page and grinned. "Ah, that is where this conversation came from. I was wondering if all the praise was going to your head."

Ron smacked her light on the back of her head while Harry howled in denial.


End file.
